MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice

Terms 1 and 2 are for taught modules. Terms 2 and 3 are for the research and writing up of the dissertation or project.

Term 1 has 2 taught modules, terms 2, 3, 4 and 5 have 1 taught module. Terms 5 and 6 are for the research and writing up of the dissertation or project.

Criminology Harms and Power - 30 credits (Compulsory) 

Enabling you to have a critical understanding of the limits of traditional criminology and the conceptual parameters of the discipline, this module gives you in-depth knowledge on the criminological theorisation of ‘social harms’ and critical awareness of its causes and impacts, historically and in everyday life. You'll study various national and international case studies focusing on injuries, violations and risks. You'll also examine the political institutions and ideologies that commit or contribute to these social harms; in addition, critically analyse the remedies and resolutions for the prevention of violence, loss of life and environmental damage. Central to the module is examining the intersecting structural inequalities of power through which social harm, law and criminal justice are played out.

Crime and Criminal Justice - 15 credits (Compulsory)

Explore the biggest challenges facing the justice system today. You'll look beyond basic theories to investigate modern global issues, including the environmental impact of green crime and why miscarriages of justice happen. This module encourages you to think creatively about new ideas like problem solving courts and abolitionist criminology. By looking at both history and modern practice, you'll build the skills needed to navigate a complex justice system and start a high impact professional career.

Research Methods - 30 credits (Compulsory)

Master the essential tools of conducting criminological research by exploring the nature and purpose of research. This module considers qualitative and quantitative methodologies while navigating the complex ethical considerations of the field. You'll develop the proficiency to carry out your own research project.

Transforming Social Policy - 15 credits (Compulsory) 

Investigate key aspects of social policy, state power and global governance. You'll analyse the politics of social transformation and the critical links between policy, crime and social harm, doing so through a range of case studies. Encouraging critical engagement with issues of policy making and power, you'll actively address areas of environmental and social justice and reflect on how policies address these.

Identity, Diversity and Human Rights - 15 credits (Optional) 

Critically engage and gain in-depth knowledge of key concepts, theories and ideas regarding identity, diversity and human rights and their implications for the field of criminology. This will include critically reflecting on how individual and group identities impact on people’s experiences of crime, victimization and criminal justice processes as well as the implications of human rights for criminal justice.

Desistance and the Carceral State - 15 credits (Optional) 

Discover what drives individuals to stop committing crime and navigate the complex barriers they face whilst attempting to shed the label of ‘criminal’ or ‘offender. You'll look beyond basic rehabilitation theories to investigate the psychological, social and structural hurdles prison leavers face. Through engagement with restorative justice, public protection and third sector resettlement strategies, this module encourages you to think creatively about systemic compliance and reduced inequalities.

Criminology at the Margins - 15 credits (Optional)

Engage with, and push at, the margins of criminology as a discipline. Examining and using theoretical and practical insights from other disciplines can teach us much about the things that criminology seeks to understand. Through centering those whose existence have been defined as being at the margins of a white, heteronormative patriarchal society, this module puts the margins at the centre through engaging, among other things, queer and trans theory, Black studies, post/decolonial thought, Indigenous studies and critical disability theory. You'll examine the relationship between social marginalisation and criminalisation, seeing how the criminal justice system has served to enforce social norms and hierarchies constructed around race, gender and sexuality and therefore placing those at the margins at greater risk of harm from the state.

Resistance Activism and the State - 15 credits (Optional) 

Uncover the ways in which the criminal justice system has been perceived and resisted by those working outside of institutional power structures. You'll look in depth at campaigns and movements to abolish prisons, defund the police and shut down detention centres and what this can tell us about the state and resistance more widely. You'll also examine the increasing criminalisation of protest and direct action in recent years and how states are reshaping law to transform political dissent into a criminal justice issue. Through critically analysing state practice, you'll cover areas of environmental and social justice, as well as practices of resistance toward these injustices.

Dissertation or Digital Coproduction and Rehabilitation Project - 60 credits (Compulsory)

Dissertation:

Produce an original piece of empirical research in which you synthesise the knowledge, understanding and skills that you have learned during the course. You'll develop as a researcher as you independently design a research project, address ethical considerations, conduct an extensive literature review, collect data, interpret and analyse data and present your findings. You'll be supported by a supervisor. You'll also demonstrate an understanding of how your research findings advance criminological knowledge and the limitations of your research.

Digital Coproduction and Rehabilitation Project:

This cutting-edge module presents an alternative to the traditional dissertation by incorporating a practical component of creatively coproducing a complimentary digital media package aimed at rehabilitation. You'll learn and enhance your skills and practical knowledge needed for working with young people, adolescents and adults in the third sector and HMPPS. Building on previous modules, including Desistance and the Carceral State and Research Methods, the module further equips students with specific criminological conceptual frameworks of understanding, needed for practically supporting diversion and rehabilitative intervention methods in both custodial and community settings. You'll choose a specific area of criminality and then design a research-informed complimentary digital learning package for hypothetical use to support rehabilitation. It will be coproduced with people with prison experience who will provide guidance based on their lived experience.